Rain Music
by Alei-Frozen-Ruby
Summary: Ichigo's life is finally running right: Ryou's her boyfriend, the terrible Masaya's gone and so is that pestering alien Kish. But if everything's so right, then why does Ichigo feel so empty inside?  Could it be that she's missing the alien pest?
1. Dress Shopping

**Rain Music**

(There's been a change of plans. Forget the preview from Trailing Tears)

* * *

_Can you feel the love that's in the air?_

_Can you see the love that's everywhere?_

_Now I know why my heart is blue,_

* * *

Ichigo relaxed in a chair by the window. She was lazily dressed in a burgundy and brown plaid poncho with a cream colored top and a pair of loose jeans. Rain pitter pattered against the glass pane and trailed down and out of view. She was Ryou's girlfriend, and having done that, her biggest dream had been achieved.

_But if my dream has been fulfilled, then why does my heart feel so empty?_

Ichigo sighed and felt empty. She heard footsteps behind her and knew that it was probably Ryou. She felt a pressure on the chair as he leaned against it. "Hey, Strawberry, why're you looking so down?" He asked. Ichigo smiled, but it soon faded.

"I don't know, Ryou. It feels as though a piece of my heart is missing," Ichigo said.

"Yeah, the rain can make you feel a bit depressed, but there's a perfect remedy for that," Ryou replied. Ichigo looked up at him.

"And what might that be?" She asked.

"Oh, nothing big; just a luncheon at the Itachi Jungle Café," Ryou said. Ichigo's eyes widened.

"That's the most expensive restaurant in Tokyo!" Ichigo gasped. Ryou smiled.

"So do you wanna go?" He asked. Ichigo nodded vigorously.

"Ok, then we need to get you a new dress," Ryou informed her. Ichigo clapped her hands.

"Can Minto and Retasu come dress-shopping with us?" Ichigo asked.

"Of course not," Ryou replied. Ichigo stared at him in disbelief.

"I'm kidding! I'm kidding! Of course they can come," Ryou said, laughing. Ichigo mock punched him, but he ducked.

"I was only kidding!" Ryou shouted.

"Ooo! I'm gonna get you for that Ryou Shirogane!" Ichigo shouted back and began to chase him around the house. Ryou ducked around the corner and dashed up the staircase. Ichigo followed and chased after him. He dashed into a door and slammed it behind him. Ichigo tugged on the door, but he had locked it. She heard the bang of another door slamming shut and looked up to see him dashing into another room. Ichigo ran over to that one and managed to stick her foot between the door and the frame before it could close. They were in Ryou's bedroom.

Ryou ran over on the other side of the bed. Ichigo grabbed one of his pillows and began hitting him with it. Ryou dodged the first blow and grabbed a pillow of his own. Feathers flew and laughter rang. Ichigo tripped over a computer chord and toppled onto Ryou.

"Hah! I win!" Ichigo announced. Then she bent over and kissed him. Ryou broke the kiss and pushed himself up, smiling wryly. "Are you sure you've won?" He asked as he picked Ichigo up bridal style and kissed her. Ichigo closed her eyes and deepened the kiss. Ryou set her down on the bed. "Well?" He asked. Ichigo smiled and looked into Ryou's electric blue eyes framed by golden hair. She smiled mischievously.

"Yeah, I've won," She replied and slid out from under him and out the door before he could do anything. "I'm calling Minto and Retasu!" Ichigo called from the staircase. Ryou smiled and headed out of the room. He followed Ichigo down the staircase and grabbed two raincoats from the closet. He tossed one to Ichigo, who caught it with amazing ease for someone talking on a cell phone, and put the other on himself. Ryou also pulled his scarf from the closet and wrapped it loosely around his neck. He pulled a large black umbrella from the umbrella holder by the door and opened it to make sure there were no holes before opening the door and waiting for Ichigo.

"Kay, see you there Retasu!" Ichigo said brightly and shut her phone. She put it in her pocket and grabbed her purse from a nearby chair before following Ryou out. They walked out to Ryou's classy black car and walked around to the passenger side. Ryou held the door open for Ichigo and shut it when she was in. He then walked around to the driver's side and shook out the umbrella before tossing it in the back and sliding into his seat. Ryou shut the door, put the key in the ignition and drove off.

Ichigo and Ryou met up with Minto and Retasu at the mall entrance. They met and talked for a while as they walked in. "So which store are we headed toward?" Ichigo asked Ryou. "I was thinking you girls could go to a designer outlet or that big store in the back or something," Ryou vaguely replied. "Psh, you don't know anything. Ichigo, we're going dress shopping at _Megumi's_," Minto reprimanded Ryou. "Shirogane-san, why did you come along for the dress shopping?" Retasu asked. "I'm not going dress shopping with you, however entertaining it might be. I have a few associates I need to talk to and they happen to be here to-day," Ryou replied. Retasu nodded and turned back to Ichigo and Minto, who were talking animatedly.

"Purple and magenta with a little bit of black perhaps," Minto was saying. "Do you think that it should have one of those decoration lace up bodices?" Ichigo asked. Minto shook her head. "Definitely not, unless it's a gothic style dress, but we really should find out what sort of outfit Ryou's going to wear before we decide things like that," Minto concluded. Ichigo looked over at Ryou. "What are you going to wear?" She asked. "Well . . . I was just gonna wear a plain black tux," Ryou said hesitantly, wondering if Minto was going to try to change his outfit to purple and pink, or whatever it was. Minto nodded. "Yeah, you should look fine with that dress, but the real question is what sort of . . ." Ryou tuned out of the conversation as they reached the escalator. "And this is where I leave you three damsels. Ichigo, here's my credit card, tell them to charge it to my IRD account," Ryou said, tossing his girlfriend as shiny platinum card. Ichigo nodded and gave him a quick peck on the cheek before departing to the upper level.

As they were trying on dresses, or rather, Minto and Retasu were constantly picking out dresses and forcing Ichigo to try them on before rejecting them and thrusting them upon the clerk, the subject turned to the aliens. Ichigo pulled on a tight little number with purple sequins and a slit going up to her thigh. "Kish would die if he could see you in that dress," Retasu laughed. Ichigo blushed and pulled it off. And, as Minto handed her the next one, a large puffy purple dress with pink tool liberally ruffled all over it, Ichigo realized what her heart was missing. She was missing Kish. Minto burst out laughing. "This one would've made that stoical little prat Pai crack up," Minto gasped between giggling fits. Retasu lightly cuffed Minto on the shoulder. "Pai was not a prat. It's just that Kish sucked up all his emotions," She replied. Ichigo laughed too as she took off the dress. She pulled on the next one. "Hey guys, I think this is the one," Ichigo squealed.

Minto and Retasu had collapsed on the floor laughing and were hyperventilating. Ichigo bent over and thwacked them both on the back shouting, "Breathe, man, breathe!!" Minto choked a little and sat up, her face flushed from laughing. Retasu quickly stood up and looked Ichigo over. "Spin," Minto said. Minto and Retasu exchanged significant looks. "Seems as though we've found you your dress," Retasu commented. "Strip it off and we'll take it to the register," Minto offered. "Shouldn't we check he price tag first?" Ichigo asked. "Ichigo, Ichigo, Ichigo. This is _Shirogane's _credit card we are talking about. And besides, the dress can't be more than $300," Minto replied. Ichigo followed this reasoning, but checked the price tag anyway. "Hey, it's on clearance," Ichigo remarked. "Come on, come on, there's a sale I wanna check at Chiiako's before we leave," Retasu said looking up at the clock on the wall.

Ichigo paid for the dress with Shirogane's card and the trio left the shop. Ichigo called Ryou and promised to meet him at the Cookie Emporium. They stopped briefly at Chiiako's where Retasu found out something she didn't want to know. They found Shirogane at the check out counter of the Cookie Emporium receiving back his credit card and a small package. "Call us later," Minto told Ichigo with a wink as she and Retasu left. Ichigo and the dress walked up to Ryou.

"Hey there stranger, do I know you?" Ichigo asked Ryou playfully. "I'm not sure, but you look vaguely familiar. Are you looking for someone?" Ryou bantered. "Yes, I'm looking for my boyfriend. He's about yea tall and has perfect hair," She responded. Ryou chuckled. "So I have perfect hair, do I?" Ryou asked looking down at her. Ichigo nodded. "It's shiny," She responded wryly, dragging out the 'I'. Ryou laughed. "Where'd the terrible twosome run off to?" Ryou asked. "Oh come on, they're not that terrible. Anyways, they already left," Ichigo replied.

"Well in that case, I'm free to give you this," Ryou said and handed Ichigo the package from the Cookie Emporium as he took the dress from her. "Hot off the press and ready for consuming," He remarked. Ichigo smiled. "You're trying to spoil my appetite for lunch," Ichigo playfully accused him. Ryou smiled and shrugged.

"Open it," Ryou urge. Ichigo smiled and did his bidding. Inside the packaging was a strawberry shaped cookie with red and green icing and little milk chocolate chips pressed in for seeds. Ichigo smiled. "It looks so good that I almost don't want to eat it," Ichigo complained. "Well in that case . . ." Ryou trailed off reaching for the cookie. Ichigo pulled it away. "Hey, I said _almost_," she repeated and took a bite out of it. She moaned with delight at the taste of the cookie.

"Well, do you like it?" Ryou asked. Ichigo nodded happily. "Do you want some?" She asked and broke off a piece. "Nah, I had at least a dozen while I was waiting for you guys," Ryou refused. "A dozen?!" Ichigo asked incredulously. Ryou smirked. "Okay, I lied, it was just one," he said. Ichigo nodded and took her dress back from Ryou as she finished the cookie.

"So what time is the reservation for?" Ichigo asked. "Well, it turns out that all the lunch times were filled, but we can do a dinner date, so you have time to go home and Minto can beautify you with her horde of cosmetics," Ryou replied. Ichigo smiled. Ryou opened the large black umbrella as they reached the sliding glass doors of the Tokyo Mall.

Ichigo felt a bit depressed as they walked out into the rain. She'd lost two people she cared about to these drops. One was dead to her, and the other was off in space, out there somewhere, probably cursing her for all eternity. The couple reached Ryou's sleek black car and Ryou opened one of the back doors and, taking the dress from Ichigo, carefully hung it on a hook and spread it out so it wouldn't wrinkle. Then he turned to Ichigo. "Come on, going out with me can't be that bad," Ryou said as he slid his arms around Ichigo's slender waist. She laughed a little, like a tinkling bell. "No, Ryou it's not you and it's not me, I'm fairly certain now," Ichigo replied. "Ah, we have a new development in _Ichigo's depression from the Rain_," Ryou said jokingly as he pulled her a half step forward and up against him. Ichigo leaned her head against Ryou's chest.

"Have I told you that I love you?" Ryou asked. "Not today," Ichigo lazily replied. "Well, we can't have that now can we?" Ryou asked playfully. "Ichigo Momomiya, I loved you yesterday, but I love you more today and will love you forevermore," Ryou said. Ichigo smiled and a fuzzy warmness flooded her body. "Ryou Shirogane, I love you too," Ichigo replied. Ryou kissed her hair. Ichigo's ears pricked up as se heard something from the rain. "Ryou, did you hear that?" She asked suddenly, looking out into the rain. "Hear what?" He asked. "The music. Listen," Ichigo commanded.

Ryou closed his eyes and listened to the pounding rain. The pristine melody wafted through the rain. The umbrella dropped to the ground. "That music, it's beautiful," Ryou haltingly commented. Ichigo smiled and leaned against him. "It is, isn't it?" She replied. Ryou looked down at Ichigo and ruffled her hair. The melody had faded away. "Come on. I think its time to go," Ryou commented and picked up the umbrella. Ichigo ducked into the car and Ryou shut the door behind her. He shook the umbrella out as he walked over to the other side, tossed it in the back with the dress, and slid into his seat.

The motor started and the car drove off. But someone sat in the decorative trees in the parking lot, watching the car and the couple inside it. The someone stored an instrument in his pocket and vanished.


	2. Itachi Jungle Cafe

**Itachi Jungle Café**

Ryou finished pulling on the tie. He adjusted it one last time and took one last look at himself in the mirror. He smiled as he remembered Ichigo's remark about his hair. "Going somewhere fancy?" A voice asked from behind. Ryou saw Keiichiero in the mirror, partially hidden by the door and the shaded background. "Yup. I'm taking Ichigo out to the Itachi Jungle Café," Ryou replied. Keiichiero smiled. "You trying to butter her up for something or are you still trying to get rid of the Kish and Masaya phantoms?" He asked. "I think I'll go with the phantom chasing one," Ryou said and turned away from the mirror. He headed out of the bathroom.

"It still raining outside?" He asked. "As hard as ever, but I think its lightened a bit since you got back," Keiichiero responded, glancing at the window again. Ryou nodded and picked up his black umbrella. He twisted the doorknob and Keiichiero patted his back. "Good luck chasing away phantoms," Keiichiero remarked in parting as Ryou opened the door and opened the umbrella. "Thanks Keiichiero, don't stay up too late playing worried parent," Ryou bantered. Keiichiero laughed. "I feel bad for the person driving you," Keiichiero commented. "Then you're feeling sorry for yourself," Ryou replied as he tossed Keiichiero the keys. "Oh, punished. But I'll be glad to escort you to your date," Keiichiero remarked. Ryou smiled and walked over to the garage. "We're taking the limo this time," He called to Keiichiero as the older man rummaged around for a rain coat. "Got it!" he called from somewhere inside. Ryou smiled to himself and climbed into the sleek limousine. Keiichiero came out moments later dressed in a long black trench coat and carrying a black umbrella.

Ichigo was giving her hair one last fluff when the doorbell rang. She looked at herself in the mirror again and suddenly found herself wishing for the green haired alien. Wishing that she was going to the Itachi Jungle Café with him instead of Ryou. He would've loved to see her in this dress, of course, she would've ended up slapping him or something. A sudden pang hit her heart at the thought of him. _Maybe I miss him more than I admit . . ._ Ichigo thought. For a moment she thought she saw his reflection standing next to hers in the mirror, but when she looked again, the image was gone. Ichigo shook her head, trying to clear away the thoughts.

"Ichigo, your date's here! O-ooh, he looks yummy tonight too!" Sakura Momomiya, Ichigo's mother, called from the ground floor. "Sakura, don't get any ideas!" Her father roared from the kitchen. Ichigo smiled in amusement. "Be down in a sec," Ichigo called back. She picked up her purple purse from the bed and grabbed her cell phone from the desktop as she walked out the door. She set the ring tone on loud, and then stashed it in her purse as she descended the staircase. Ichigo picked up trails of a dying conversation between her mother, her father, and her boyfriend as she traveled down the stairs. Complete and utter silence reigned when she appeared before them. Ichigo's father tried to look blasé, but couldn't quite hide the pride he felt in Ichigo. Sakura smiled broadly, openly admitting her pride. 'That's my beautiful baby, already blossomed and attracting handsome and wealthy suitors,' Sakura seemed to say.

Ryou gazed at Ichigo, shocked at how well the colors worked together with the design of the dress and how beautiful the dress looked on Ichigo. "Is this ok for the restaurant?" Ichigo asked tentatively. Ryou smiled and nodded. "It's perfect, Ichigo," Ryou complemented her. Ryou opened the door and the umbrella. He held out his arm for her to take, which she did. They walked down the steps and out into the dark and rainy night. "Good-bye, Ichigo!" Ichigo's mother called. "You better be home by ten!" Ichigo's father threatened. Ichigo smiled in spite of herself. "Don't worry, Dad, I'll be home well after that," Ichigo replied jokingly. She laughed and waved good-bye. Her parents waved back and shut the door. Ichigo saw her father take up a post at the window and knew that he'd be waiting up for her.

"Ten? I was hoping we could go for a moonlight walk in their gardens," Ryou complained. Ichigo lightly squeezed his hand. "Well, we'll have to make it a short one," She said as they came upon the car, Keiichiero holding open the door. "Hey Keiichiero," Ichigo greeted him as she slid into the spacious limo. "Glad to see you again, Miss Ichigo," Keiichiero replied. Ryou shook out his umbrella and handed it to Keiichiero. He then slid inside and the door shut behind him. "Ichigo, look, we got the casino lights put in," Ryou said. He pushed a button with a white gloved hand. The limo's interior lights faded out and bright, multi colored lights filled the car. Ichigo looked up at the lights, momentarily mesmerized by the colorful shininess. "Pretty lights," Ichigo murmured. Ryou smiled and put and arm around her shoulders. "Not half as beautiful as the lady sitting next to me," He remarked. Ichigo smiled and blushed.

When they reached the Itachi Jungle Café, Keiichiero opened the door and Ryou helped Ichigo out. Keiichiero took the car from the valet. "Come back for us around nine thirty," Ryou instructed. Keiichiero nodded and disappeared into the night with the car. Ichigo and Ryou were escorted beneath the green awning to the restaurant's rotating green glass doors. Ichigo gasped and looked around, wide-eyed.

Inside the décor was that of a jungle. Rope like vines hung from a giant tree canopy on the ceiling. Green and yellow lights shone down from above the canopy, squeezing through the gaps like little rays of light. Not a penny had been spared on bringing in plants. There were live ones, fake ones, ferns, flowers, and one giant tree smack dab in the center of the floor. Parasitic vines blooming with exotic pink, orange, and blue flowers swirled up the tree, crossing each other in a haphazard harlequin pattern. Enormous leaves adorned the gigantic branches that spread out across half the ceiling.

A bright emerald animatronic snake slithered across one of the branches, moving ever so slowly with gold diamonds patterned throughout its scales. A cuddly robotic monkey swung from another branch of the tree. Another monkey hung on a nearby branch from its tail. Giant butterflies fluttered across the room, well above the patrons' heads. They were held up by clear strings from the ceiling. A giant elephant stood near a wall decorated with giant plants and a sparkling waterfall. It occasionally dipped its trunk into the water and then squirted the water over a cute little baby elephant, who was ruminating on a comfy rock in the center of the pool created by the waterfall. Blue and white lights shining from the backside of the water made it seem as though the water and the elephants were glowing.

A giant gold statue stood in one corner, overrun with vines and bushes. A couple parakeets perched atop the statue and a toucan loomed above them. Both occasionally squawked or cawed and flapped their wings. The sinister form of a black striped orange tiger loomed about eyelevel from between the leaves of a fern. It moved its head every now and then and the long tail twitched.

Ichigo and Ryou were guided to a brown and gold table romantically lit by a two candles inside glass holders shaped like a bird and a butterfly. (For those of you who skipped the last couple paragraphs, or cannot imagine what I'm illustrating, this restaurant is like a bigger version of the Rainforest Café) The waiter took their orders for drinks. When he came back Ryou and Ichigo were ready to order. The waiter took the order down in a little booklet and left. Quicker than Ichigo believed possible, the waiter returned with their order fresh off the stove.

"So, what do you think?" Ryou asked Ichigo as they began to eat. "This place is awesome. The decorations are so exotic and the service is supreme," Ichigo gushed. Ryou smiled and took a bite while Ichigo rambled on about the decorations. She ended her monologue by asking Ryou if he though the butterflies were coated with sheets of metal. "Well it must be some shiny fiber," She said in response to Ryou's mumbled answer. They finished dinner rather quickly and ordered dessert.

It came in the form of a mini volcano with a sparkler stuck in the top. Ichigo gasped in surprise and delight. Ryou's heart flip flopped and he was filled with warm fuzzies. The volcano was made of rich chocolate cake and cookies'n'cream ice cream was clustered around the base. Warm and gooey chocolate fudge slid down the sides of the volcano, completing the delicious treat. Ryou let Ichigo take the first bite before digging in himself. Unbeknownst to them, a certain hidden someone watched them from amidst the foliage.

Ichigo leaned back in her jungle themed chair and relaxed. "Arigato gozaimasu, Ryou-kun. That was a lovely dinner," Ichigo complemented him. Of course, he was paying the bill. "I'm glad you enjoyed it, Ichigo-chan," Ryou replied. The waiter came and began clearing things away. Ryou and Ichigo stood. Ryou held out his arm for Ichigo and they walked to a different pair of glass doors. These doors led to a maze of gardens, blooming with cherry-blossoms, roses, snow drops and every sort of flower that could be imported or exported. Elderly and elegant, trees of various sized graced the dimly lit paths through the labyrinth.

Ryou and Ichigo started down one of the paths. They walked down slowly, admiring the elegance and majesty of the gardens. Ichigo looked up and gasped. Rain gently pitter pattered on the clear glass dome shielding the gardens. Stars twinkled through gaps in the fading clouds as the rain lightened. Ryou smiled and looked up too. As they were walking, a wall in the form of bushes, flowers, and trees slowly grew up between them. Ichigo on one side and Ryou on the other. Each continued walking, not noticing what had happened. After a while Ryou made a comment and when Ichigo didn't reply, looked around to find she was missing.

Ichigo continued walking down her path and then her ears perked up. It was that music again. She closed her eyes and began to follow the music. Tentatively at first, she took small steps, and then Ichigo gained confidence and took longer surer steps. She began to hurry, having a sense that the music was only there for a transitory moment in time. She soon found where the music was the loudest and opened her eyes to look around. No one was there, yet the melody played on. Ichigo sat down on a cushioned wood and metal bench. The metal formed the frame and ran up the woodwork in intricate swirls and loops. Ichigo closed her eyes and lifted her face to the sky, simply listening to the music.

The music seemed to flow to the rhythm of the rain. There was no clear theme, just a single melody. A dark figure watched Ichigo from above. It and the certain someone (who had watched Ichigo dine from amidst the foliage) were one and the same. This entity, shrouded with darkness, watched Ichigo as the music flowed from his fingers. He drifted a bit closer, until he was right above Ichigo, slowly decrescendo-ing as he did so. He watched her a moment longer before noiselessly swooping down in front of her. He let the piece of music drift away as he looked into her radiant face before vanishing.

Ichigo's ears perked as she heard the music became softer and louder simultaneously. There was a soft swoosh and a gentle puff of air breezed by as the music ended. Ichigo opened her eyes, and, for one time stopping instant, she saw the one her heart was missing. Or at least, she thought she saw him. Half his face was draped in a hood and he vanished quite suddenly, keeping her from getting a good glimpse. Despite all these factors, for the rest of the night, the only thing Ichigo could think was, _Kisshu is back . . ._

Ryou and Ichigo eventually found each other in an intersecting passage of the maze and hastily made their way toward the exit as they realized it was almost ten o'clock. The hooded figure watched them go out into the rain and vanish into their fancy car. Ichigo was dropped off at home, where both her parents were still awake and waiting, and went to bed. Her dreams were filled with Kisshu's and Ryou's faces and she awoke in early in the morning due to a thunder bolt. Upon finding she could not get back to sleep, she got dressed and finished a bit of procrastinated homework.

Rain pitter pattered against the window from a black sky. _Well, the sun's almost up . . . _Ichigo thought lazily. She sat up on her knees and gazed out the rain streaked window. Quite suddenly, she heard something thunk downstairs, a book perhaps? Slightly excited and very wary, Ichigo grabbed her trusty base-ball bat. It hadn't failed her yet. She opened the door and heard muffled footsteps. Quietly she tiptoed down the staircase and carefully skipped over the squeaky middle step. Ichigo paused and listened as the back door _creeeaaaaaaked _open and someone walked out into the pouring rain. Quickly, Ichigo ran into the kitchen and came to a skidding halt at the threshold. She scanned the darkness intently, looking for anything moving or out of place. A-hah! _Got 'cha_, she thought. Ichigo slipped on a pair of galoshes and grabbed a flashlight from a drawer. She flicked it on to make sure it worked and then headed outdoors.

She crept out into the darkness, sweeping her backyard with the flashlight once . . . nothing. Twice . . . noth—wait, what was that? A flash of brown and green . . . Ah-hah! There it was again. Ichigo ran up to it, abandoning all caution and almost losing her galoshes, and tackled it!

Strong hands wrapped around her waist as she came down on it and swung her around, turning her tackle into . . . well, nothing harmful. Ichigo struggled and was about to knee him when he spoke. "Hello, Koneko-chan."


	3. Just for Me

**Just for Me**

Ichigo gasped and looked up into the face of her captor. Two golden eyes peeked out from under the shadow of a hood. "Kisshu?" Ichigo asked, lifting up the hood. "Miss me?" He asked softly. For a moment, they just gazed at each other. "You know that I'm Ryou's girlfriend now, right?" Ichigo asked. Kisshu smiled. "Yeah, I gathered that. Don't worry, I'm not going to kiss you this time," Kisshu teased her.

Ichigo smiled and let the conversation drop. For a few moments, she just stood in his arms. The rain fell down around them in a drizzle of sparkling diamonds. The rain made small plinking sounds as it splashed upon the ground. Kisshu looked up at the dark grey clouds and felt Ichigo shiver. "Is my Koneko-chan cold?" Kisshu asked. Before Ichigo had a chance to reply, Kisshu had whisked his cloak off of himself and onto her shoulders. Ichigo blushed. "Thank you, Kisshu," She said. Kisshu pulled her into one last embrace. "I'll see you later," He whispered and vanished. Ichigo pulled the cloak close around her and stood in the rain for another five minutes, completely and utterly shocked. Thoughts ran through her head at an amazing speed and Ichigo almost felt as though her head would explode. One part of her felt happier than it had been for a long long time and another part of her had a dreadful sinking feeling. Ichigo felt like she was being split in two. Almost. Ichigo blinked and slowly walked back into the house.

Sometime after the sun supposedly rose (it was still raining), Ichigo pulled on a couple sweaters and her backpack and prepared to walk to school. She picked up her kitty-themed umbrella and opened it, checking for holes or brokenness of any sort. Upon passing inspection, the umbrella was folded up and tucked beneath Ichigo's arm as she grabbed a piece of toast and buttered it with marmalade. Ichigo munched on the toast as she walked out the door, her thoughts on Kisshu and Ryou.

Kisshu watched Ichigo from the rooftop as she walked away in the rain. He watched her as she walked down the street and vanished around the corner. Kisshu smiled and leaned back a bit. "That went very well," Kisshu said to himself and teleported out.

Ichigo arrived at school and paused as she heard the bell ring. She cursed under her breath and dashed off toward her class. Ichigo arrived at room 5-20a and tried to stop. She slid across the floor, right past her door. Ichigo grabbed onto the lockers and managed to stop herself in time to not crash into anything. She hurriedly shook out her umbrella and closed it as she walked toward the classroom. Ichigo quietly twisted the knob and peeked into the room. Good, the teacher was distracted.

This would be Ichigo's third tardy that month and there was sure to be a punishment this time. Ichigo opened the door a bit more and slipped into the classroom. Eyeing the teacher all the while, Ichigo dropped to her hands and knees and crawled through the rows of desks and people until she reached her own. She carefully set down her backpack and pulled out the necessary items, taking great care not to make any sound. Ichigo slid the items onto the top of the desk and then slid up herself. She was just feeling like she'd gotten away with it when someone shouted her name. "Ichigo-chan, you're here, na no da!" Purin shouted. Gee, Purin was smart, but she was still a kid.

Ichigo froze and watched the teacher's back. The teacher suddenly turned around. "Momomiya Ichigo!!!" The teacher shouted. "Where were you this morning?! Why are you late?! Answer me now!" The teacher shouted again, stalking toward Ichigo's desk. Ichigo jumped up. "I was late because I was finished homework and it was raining and the bus schedule changed!!" Ichigo unintentionally shouted back at the teacher. "Nah! Momomiya, this is the third time this month!! There's a different excuse each time!" The teacher shouted back. "But my spaghetti did explode! And that thing with the Amish monks and the moustaches really happened!" Ichigo tried weakly to defend herself. "Not good enough! You will come and see me after school! Today!" The teacher declared. Then she turned and headed back to the board. Ichigo slumped into her chair and thought menacing thoughts at the teacher, but, since neither Ichigo nor the teacher was telepathic, only Ichigo knew what she was thinking.

After the first class ended, and Ichigo had walked out the door, Ichigo felt a lot better about herself and began to think about the events of the morning. Purin came up to her. "Ichigo-sama, na no da?" Purin asked. "Yeah?" Ichigo looked down at her golden-haired comrade. "Purin is sorry for getting Ichigo-sama into trouble, na no da," Purin apologized. "Nah. It's ok Purin. After, sensei can't do anything too harsh," Ichigo said. Purin nodded and happily skipped away.

After washing the desks and the chalkboard, Ichigo exited the school. Minto and Retasu had already left and the sun was starting to set. A gust of wind blew by and Ichigo shivered. None of the buses would be running from here to her part of town, which meant she had to walk. She could always call Ryou to come pick her up. He'd be there in a second with an invitation to stay for dinner and maybe some flowers. Ichigo smiled at the thought. But the smile vanished as quickly as it had come. All of the sudden she felt as though she wasn't alone anymore.

Ichigo paused and looked around, but no one was there. She turned back and continued walking. Footsteps appeared behind her and then Kisshu was walking next to her. Ichigo couldn't help but smile. "Hey Koneko-chan, why are you walking home so late?" Kisshu asked. "I was tardy again for the third time this month and had to stay to clean the desks and the chalkboard," Ichigo replied. "But isn't it dangerous to walk home through this part of Tokyo?" Kisshu asked with a little bit of a frown. "Well, I was going to call Ryou and ask him to pick me up," Ichigo replied, remembering her intention and reaching for her cell phone.

"So you're still with him then?" Kisshu asked. "Yup. He's the dream boyfriend. He's rich and caring and protective. But he's not abusive or anything. He brings me flowers and pays for my clothes and takes me out," Ichigo replied as she brought out her cell. "If he's all that, then why aren't you happy?" Kisshu asked. "Of course I'm happy, what makes you think I'm not?" Ichigo replied defensively. "Well it's not like you called him first thing when you got out of school," Kisshu commented. "I can do things on my own. I'm not completely dependent on him," Ichigo defended. "Yeah, but you're empty on the inside," Kisshu stated. Ichigo was taken aback. Empty? How could he know that? "What do you mean by that?" Ichigo angrily asked. "I dunno. It's in your voice. You're missing something or someone," Kisshu replied. "And how exactly would you know that?" Ichigo glared at him. "Because that's how I sound when I'm missing you," he said quietly. Ichigo stopped walking completely. "Call Shirogane to take you home," Kisshu advised and, taking one last look at her, he vanished.

Ichigo stood for a moment, completely shocked. Kisshu missed her. He _missed _her. Had he come all the way across the galaxies to meet her again? Ichigo smiled as some of the emptiness in her heart vanished. She opened up her cell and started to call Ryou, but on a second thought, she cancelled the call and instead dialed Minto's number. Minto picked up on the third ring.

"Moshi moshi, this is Aizawa Minto speaking," Minto stated.

"Hey Minto, it's Ichigo. Can you come pick me up? I'm at the corner of Shinjiwa Avenue and Juka," Ichigo asked.

"Sure, Ichigo, no prob. Might this have something to do with your three tardies," Minto teased.

"Mehbeh," Ichigo drawled out the word guiltily.

"I'll be there in five," Minto replied and hung up.

Ichigo snapped her cell shut and put it away. Kisshu had implied that she was missing someone or something. He was right. She had been missing someone. Ichigo would bet all her money that she knew who. But Kisshu was different this time around. He wasn't trying to kiss her every time they got together, nor was he trying to touch her every moment. Maybe he had decided that approach wouldn't work. Or maybe he was in trouble with Pai and Taruto. She'd have to ask next time they met.

Ichigo smiled vaguely. Here she was, already planning things for Kisshu's next visit, and she didn't even know when or **if **he was going to appear. Minto's sleek black car pulled up to the curb. The chauffeur stepped out and opened the door for her. Ichigo climbed in, he shut the door and slipped into the driver's seat and they drove off. Minto and Ichigo sat in comfortable silence: Ichigo thinking of Kisshu and Minto thinking of going to Paris and debating about taking Ichigo and Retasu along. The car pulled up at Ichigo's house. Impatient to get in, Ichigo opened the door, thanked Minto for the ride, shut the door, and ran up the steps.

Ichigo mounted the steps to her room and quietly shut the door. She dropped her backpack and sank down against the door. A smile slowly spread across her face as she thought about the days events. **Kisshu **was **back**. She wanted to run and jump and twirl and whirl and dance the night away. Good feelings flooded up inside her.

Ichigo looked out the window. The sky was now pitch black with many twinkling stars. One shone brighter for an instant, then fell across the vast expanse, leaving a sparkling trail. Ichigo smiled and shook her head at the star. "Silly star, my wish has already come true," Ichigo said. Maybe he didn't love her anymore, maybe he did. Maybe he was going to stay, maybe he'd leave. Maybe he'd take her with him, maybe he'd leave her alone. There were so many maybes. So many what ifs. But Ichigo didn't care. Even if that was the last time she'd seen him, he'd come back.

Ichigo smile wider and thought, _He came back just for me._


	4. Paris for Three

**Paris for Three**

A few days later, after school, Minto, Retasu, and Ichigo were riding home. "What do you guys think of Paris?" Minto asked. "Well, considering I've never actually been there," Retasu started. "I know, but would it be a place you'd like to visit sometime?" Minto asked. "Do I sense an opportunity here?" Ichigo asked mischieviously. "Are you going to take us to Paris?" Retasu asked, getting super excited. Minto laughed. "You guessed it," Minto replied. Ichigo and Retasu cheered. "What about a chaperone? My parents won't let me go without one," Ichigo inquired. "No problem. Jacques will be accompanying us," Minto replied. "But isn't he just a butler?" Retasu asked. "He's also a trained body guard. We'll be safe with him," Minto replied confidently. Ichigo and Retasu smiled and squealed and hugged Minto. "Wheeeeeee! Paris for three!" Ichigo and Retasu exclaimed together. The girls excitedly chattered about it, exchanging dates, conflicts, people to notify, what they would do, etc.

Ichigo was reluctant to leave the car, but was excited that they'd be leaving in three days. She ran in, let her parents know (they readily consented), and ran upstairs to pack. As Ichigo packed, she was on the phone, having a three-way conference with Retasu and Minto.

"So, have you told Ryou yet?" Minto asked.

"Nah, I'm gonna tell him tomorrow," Ichigo replied.

"Don't take too long, else he might feel down and out of the loop," Retasu commented.

"Retasu, don't worry about it," Ichigo replied. Then her phone started beeping, telling her someone else was trying to get through. She looked at the caller ID.

"Hey guys, give me a minute. Ryou's on the other line," Ichigo said and pushed the green button.

"Hello," Ichigo said happily.

"Hey, sweet heart, don't you sound cheery today," Ryou answered.

"I know. Minto just invited Retasu and me to go to Paris with her!" Ichigo squealed and danced in a circle before flopping down on her bed.

"Really? How long will you be gone?" Ryou asked.

"Only a couple days, it's just a weekend thing. We're taking Jacques, Minto's bodyguard, with us," Ichigo replied.

"Ok, cool. Hey, do you wanna go dancing at Club 13 tomorrow?" Ryou asked.

"Sure, sounds great," Ichigo replied.

"I'll pick you up at six thirty," Ryou replied and hung up. Ichigo sighed happily and ended his phone call before returning to the previous call. The girls stayed up 'til midnight talking and packing and packing and planning. By the time Ichigo hung up the phone, she was ready to eat. So she quietly went downstairs to the kitchen and grabbed herself some cookies and milk. Happily munching on a chocolate chip cookie, she opened her door and sat down on the bed, reviewing in her mind all the things she had packed and all the things she might buy in Paris.

She imagined how great it would be to go to Paris. One of the most romantic places on earth. Ichigo sighed happily as she munched on a cookie. _Paris. _Minto had already taken them to Italy, Hawaii, India, Rome, England, and now France. At this rate, she'd see the world before she was eighteen. Ichigo smiled to herself.

As she was eating, she heard a rustle in the trees through the window. She thought it was the wind and so ignored it. Although a small part of her was kind of hoping that Kisshu was there. But this small part of her went unacknowledged. However, when there came a tap-tap-tapping at her window, she looked up in surprise. And who should be there but Kisshu! Ichigo smiled and motioned for him to come in. Kisshu teleported in.

"So what are you doing here at this time of night?" Ichigo asked, offering him a cookie and sitting down on the bed.

"Nothing. Nothing at all," Kisshu said with a mischievous smile and taking a cookie. Ichigo chuckled. He sat in the air, cross legged and floating.

"Yeah, sure. So, I repeat, what are you doing lurking outside my window? And where are Pai and Taruto?" Ichigo asked, taking another bite and swallowing some milk.

"Pai and Taruto are waiting," Kisshu answered mysteriously and sitting down on her bed.

"For what?" Ichigo asked, turning to look at him.

"I'll tell you later," Kisshu replied, taking another cookie.

"You're not making another plan to take down the earth, are you?" Ichigo teased, eating a cookie and setting her milk down on the nightstand. She swallowed and waited for Kisshu to finish chewing his cookie.

"Hah, you wish. So what're you doing up so late?" Kisshu asked, reaching for another.

"I was talking with my friends," Ichigo replied vaguely, not sure if she actually wanted Kisshu to appear in Paris.

"Really now. For a while it sounded like you were talking with Shirogane," Kisshu said mischievously and then jumping to dodge the pillow Ichigo threw at him. He laughed.

"Hah! You missed!" He almost shouted, happy that he had dodged.

"Hey, no eavesdropping; and he's my boyfriend, what did you expect?" Ichigo chided him. She picked up another pillow and held it threateningly.

"Whatever. I'll see you tomorrow, 'kay Koneko-chan?" Kisshu said. He kissed her on the cheek, laughed mischievously at her shocked expression and vanished. He appeared on his spaceship and coughed a bit.

"Staying a bit long down there, Master Kisshu?" Sora, the ship's computer, asked.

"I wanted to see her before tomorrow," Kisshu replied.

"If you continue to do this, you will not last until next week," Sora stated matter of factly.

"Yeah, yeah, I know. Just give me the elixir," Kisshu replied.

"Yes, Master Kisshu," Sora said. A table slid out of the wall and a glass of glowing green liquid appeared on it. Kisshu shakily picked it up and gulped it all down.

"Why do you continue to go down to earth, Master Kisshu? It only increases the rate of degeneration, and, if not for the Alchemyst's Elixir, you'd be dead tomorrow," Sora prompted.

"She's the most important person to me. I want to see her one last time. Wake me up in six rotations," Kisshu commanded and teleported out.


	5. Edelweiss

**Edelweiss**

Ichigo got up the next day before the sun rose. She couldn't fall back to sleep, so she pulled on a shirt and a pair of denim beach shorts as well as her shoes. She grabbed a light jacket and let herself out of the house, locking the door behind her and pocketing the key.

Ichigo walked through the cool morning air until she got to the park. She walked and walked and eventually realized she was walking in circles, so she turned toward the small lake. As she wove through the trees, she heard someone sigh. She paused, not wanting to interrupt, but at the same time, wanting to know who was there.

She continued quietly, carefully avoiding leaves and twigs. She spotted someone standing by the lake. She moved closer and realized it was Kish. She gasped. Kish looked back in surprise.

"Ichigo? What are—" Kish collapsed into a coughing fit. Ichigo rushed up to him she grabbed his shoulders and started to ask what was wrong when all of the sudden they were teleported. They ended up sitting in the clouds.

Kish looked around. "Why aren't we on the ship?" He asked between coughs. Ichigo, still slightly shocked from being transported to the clouds.

"Kish, what's wrong?" Ichigo asked. Kish looked up at her sadly.

"I was kinda hoping you wouldn't hafta find out. Not like this anyway," Kish replied. Ichigo leaned forward. What on earth could have happened?

"Something went wrong when we were regenerating the planet. A disease epidemic broke out. It's killed most of our people. I was the last to catch the disease. No one's caught it since. But, you see, my cells have stopped regenerating. I'm going to die," Kish explained, looking up at her.

Ichigo's eyes filled with tears. Die? Just when he came back? No, he couldn't die now. There must be some way to stop it...

"This disease has no cure. In fact, I would be dead today without the special potion I've been drinking. It's sustained me long enough to make it here. But now that I've been on Earth, there's nothing I can do to stop it from causing my body to completely degenerate," Kish said. He'd stopped coughing, but was looking gaunt and pale now.

I will save you. I know I will. And you will live and we can be together. This last thought surprised Ichigo. Wasn't she supposed to be in love with Ryou? Wasn't she? No. This was no time for a crisis. She could stop this disease. She knew she could. She just had to find out how.

"Kish, I will save you. Just stay alive long enough for me to find out how," Ichigo pleaded. Kish smiled and traced the edge of her face with his finger.

"Do I detect a hint of caring?" Kish teased with a faint smirk. Ichigo smiled as a single tear made its way down her cheek.

"Aw, don't cry Koneko-chan. Don't cry," Kish said softly. "I need to get back to my ship, but I'll take you back to earth first." Suddenly Ichigo found herself back at the park. Kish smiled and kissed her forehead before vanishing without her.

Ichigo collapsed on the grass, sobbing. Just when she felt she had no more tears left, someone tapped her on the shoulder.

Ichigo looked up and saw a short, fat old man with a long white beard that trailed on the ground.

"Ah, the wonders of the morning. It's never too early," He commented.

"No, I suppose not," Ichigo replied. A bird flew overhead.

"Edelweiss. If he drinks it, he will live," He said before walking off. Ichigo stared after him until he vanished into the misty trees. When had the mist set in? Then everything went black and Ichigo found her eyes were closed. She opened them and sat up. Her limbs were aching.

"I must've fallen asleep," she said to herself. A small breeze bustled through and she could've sworn that a voice said, "Edelweiss." Maybe it wasn't just a dream . . .

Ichigo stood and knew what she had to do. She went home and looked it up on the computer. She found an entry from the movie "Sound of Music" and a Wikipedia entry on the flower.

She looked up other articles and, having looked up the closest location, called Minto. The first time she got Minto's voicemail. She didn't leave a message, but called back two hours later, around 8 am.

"Hey Ichigo, what's up?" Minto asked groggily.

"Do you know where I could find some Edelweiss?" Ichigo asked.

"Yeah, what do you need it for?" Minto asked.

"A secret project I'm working on. I wanna finish it before we leave for Paris," Ichigo explained.

"All right. You wanna come over and pick it up?" Minto asked. Ichigo agreed and they said their good-byes and hung up. Ichigo left a note for her parents. She paused in the doorway as she was about to leave and looked up at the clouded sky.

"Hang on, Kish. Help is coming," She whispered and ran off to Minto's.

When she got home with the flower, Ryou was waiting for her. "Hey, what're you doing here?" Ichigo asked. "I thought we could go out for lunch or something," Ryou replied. "This is my last chance to see you before you head off to Paris."

"Oh Ryou, I wish I could, but I made plans with Moe and Miwa," Ichigo lied, hoping he wouldn't notice.

"Oh, well, all right. I'll see you at six-thirty then," Ryou said, a little put out. Ichigo nodded and smiled.

"Don't look so glum. I'll only be gone for a couple days," Ichigo said as she took his hand. Ryou smiled.

"I know. It's just, I keep on getting this feeling that you'll go away and then you won't come back to me. I love you, you know that right?" Ryou asked, looking deep into her eyes. Ichigo looked away. "Hey, is there something wrong, Ichigo?"

Ichigo shook her head and looked up at him. She wrapped her arms around him and hugged him. Ryou smiled and kissed her on the cheek before leaving. Ichigo shut the door behind him and sighed. She looked down at the precious flower in her hand. How on earth was Kish going to drink this?!


End file.
